Trustees in Attendance

Trustees Absent

Hugh Greene

Item 1 Call to Order

Chair Taylor convened the meeting and recognized a quorum.

Item 2 Chair’s Report

Chair Taylor announced that there would be a workshop in November and briefly spoke about agenda items for the workshop, including enrollment management and strategic planning. He noted that there would be three guests at the workshop: Ms. Jennifer McDonough, to discuss the capital campaign; Ms. Sheila McDevitt, chair, Board of Governors; and Dr. Terry MacTaggart, to discuss strategic planning.

Chair Taylor mentioned presidential compensation and faculty salaries, noting that the workshop would include a conversation with Dr. MacTaggart on his completed compensation study.

Chair Taylor proposed to Board members that they start a capital campaign to benefit a presidential/faculty enhancement fund. He asked that trustees take this on as a personal initiative to enable the President to have resources to augment State funds for current faculty and to recruit quality faculty. Chair Taylor stated that this initiative would show the Board’s commitment to the University. He clarified that the President would be delegated the authority to distribute the funds. Consensus was that this proposition would be fleshed out at the February workshop.

Item 3 President’s Report

President Delaney discussed topics for the upcoming workshop, including the need to balance enrollment with state funding levels and an opportunity for UNF to purchase the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).

President Delaney reported on the State budget, mentioning that projections were for an additional 15 percent reduction. He talked about how UNF was preparing for possible reductions in education, noting that UNF had made adjustments for a 4 percent reduction. He stated that tuition needed to be viewed as a revenue source and noted that the Legislature did recognize the State University System’s critical need.

President Delaney talked briefly about the Jacksonville Commitment, clarifying that the City of Jacksonville had approved funding for the program. He stated that PECO was doing well and UNF would continue to pursue these funds.

President Delaney updated trustees on the NCAA certification process, including the Athletics Certification Peer-Review Team Report. He noted that there were two outstanding issues and listed those as (1) academic standards and policies for student-athletes, and (2) gender equity in facilities. President Delaney clarified that the University had until December 19, 2008 to respond.

President Delaney updated trustees on the Athletic Director’s search and spoke briefly about the SACS reaccreditation process. He reviewed highlights on campus construction, noting that all projects were on time and on budget.

Item 4 Open Comments

Chair Taylor addressed those in attendance and offered opportunity for open comments. Upon receiving none, he continued with the business at hand.

Item 5 Consent Agenda

Chair Taylor stated that, in addition to the minutes, the consent agenda included five items from the Finance and Audit Committee and one item from the Educational Policy Committee. He noted that all items were approved unanimously by respective committees and forwarded to the Board for consideration.

After Chair Taylor offered opportunity for trustees to pull items from the agenda for further discussion, he asked for a MOTION for approval. A MOTION was offered and seconded and the consent agenda was approved as presented.

Item 6 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UNF Board of Trustees and the UNF Financing Corporation (UNFFC)

Chair Taylor asked Vice President Shuman to speak about this item.

Vice President Shuman stated that the purpose of the UNFFC was to act as an agent for the sole purpose of obtaining public funds for projects related to the mission of the University. She clarified that the changes to the MOU would be to make clear the fund management relationship between the University and the UNFFC.

Vice President Shuman noted that this document would supersede the prior MOU and included a revision that delegated to the University management services for the UNFFC.

Chair Taylor asked for a MOTION to approve the MOU between the UNF Board of Trustees and the UNFFC. The MOTION was offered by Trustee Twomey and seconded by Trustee Crawford. The MOTION was accepted as presented.

Item 7 Report on the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)

Chair Taylor asked President Delaney to speak about this item.

President Delaney stated that the University had been approached about the idea of taking ownership for the operations and management of the MOCA. He spoke about the possible risks and advantages of this idea, noting that the advantages were considerable. He listed these possible advantages as the ability to enlarge the University’s cultural reach and circle of friends in the Jacksonville art community, the ability to reestablish a downtown presence, and academic linkages. He also mentioned the possibility of a world affairs type relationship. He also spoke about how a university the size of UNF would benefit from a place to exhibit student’s art and for art instruction.

President Delaney spoke about the MOCA’s assets which included several pieces of art, a small endowment, and a recently renovated building. He clarified that building was owned/leased by the City of Jacksonville.

President Delaney stated that, at this point, the University was pursuing reactions from the Board of Trustees with tentative agreements coming later. He mentioned that a new art gallery was included in UNF’s PECO list.

Trustees discussed the reporting structure of the MOCA’s existing board of directors, including the executive director. President Delaney noted that there were members of UNF’s faculty and Foundation Board who currently served on the MOCA board of directors. He clarified that the MOCA’s board of directors might maintain self-perpetuation.

Trustees asked for clarification on funds earned from the MOCA, specifically requesting that funds earned be used to fund operations.

Trustees continued the discussion about funding operations, including debt, endowment balances, accreditation, and perpetuation of contributors. Questions were posed about duplicating efforts – specifically staff operations and maintenance issues.

President Delaney proposed that the Board of Trustees continue discussions at a later time regarding the business model. He stated that the University was requesting authorization from the Board to sign a nonbinding letter of intent and proceed with discussions.

Chair Taylor asked for a MOTION to approve authorization for the President to sign a nonbinding letter of intent to take ownership for the operations and management of the MOCA. The MOTION was offered by Trustee Robinson and seconded by Trustee Abdullah. The motion carried with no abstentions.

Item 8 Report on the NCAA Campus Visitation

Chair Taylor asked Vice President Owen to update the Board on recent developments in the NCAA D-I certification process.

Vice President Owen reported that after a recent on-campus visit, the Athletics Certification Peer-Review Team drafted a report which addressed two issues: (1) academic standards and policies for student-athletes, and (2) gender equity in facilities. She noted that a final report would be provided within two weeks and the University would have the opportunity to respond at that time.

Vice President Owen directed trustees to the meeting materials and noted that the certification process was now at step 8. She stated that the NCAA and the University were looking forward to a great outcome which would be forthcoming late spring or early summer.

This item was for information only and required no further action.

Item 9 Reports from the Finance and Audit Committee

Chair Taylor asked Trustee Twomey to speak about the reports from the Finance and Audit Committee.

Item 9A Direct Support Organizations (DSO’s) Audits

Trustee Twomey stated that the Finance and Audit Committee had reviewed budgets for UNF’s DSO’s, including the UNF Financing Corporation, the Training and Service Institute and the UNF Foundation, Inc. He stated that all audits were clean with no significant issues.

This item was provided for review and oversight. No further action was required.

Item 9B Accounts Receivable Write-offs

Trustee Twomey reported that all write-offs were within constraints of the delegation of authority given to the President.

Item 9C Treasurer’s Report

Trustee Twomey asked Vice President Shuman to speak about this item.

Vice President Shuman spoke about the University’s cash flow and noted that there were more investments than cash. She updated trustees on the University’s retraction from the State Board of Administration and noted that this investment was now at $2.5 million, down from $7.3 million.

Vice President Shuman stated that two new money managers were added in an effort to further diversify. She listed these as the RBC Centura Bank and Public Financial Management (PFM). She mentioned that an updated treasurer’s report would be provided at the end of the quarter and would include the two new money managers.

Trustees discussed the current financial climate and encouraged the University to maintain a sound and attentive approach toward investing.

This item was for information only. No further action was required.

Item 9D Quarterly Budget Report

Trustee Twomey asked Vice President Shuman to discuss this item.

Vice President Shuman stated that, as was forecasted, the E&G and Auxiliary budgets were below 100 percent and lower than previous years. She clarified that measures were implemented to stop a frenzy of year-end spending which allowed carry-forward dollars to be saved.

Vice President Shuman reported that the State was holding back 4 percent of cash balances, or 1 percent per quarter. She clarified that the University was already working with a 4 percent reduction and thus, felt comfortable with these constraints.

This item was for information only. No further action was required.

Item 9E Capital Projects Quarterly Report and Change Orders

Trustee Twomey asked Vice President Shuman to present this item.

Vice President Shuman spoke briefly about the capital projects, mentioning that the Brooks College of Health addition was completed on schedule and on budget. She reported on the top three ongoing projects, including the (1) Student Union building, noting that the total cost was $50 million and the completion date was May 2009; (2) the College of Education & Human Services building, which had a total cost of about $27 million and was expected to be complete May 2009; and (3) Osprey Fountains which was expected to be completed August 2009. She discussed various other projects, and noted that that the Science and Humanities building was in the planning phase.

Item 10A Fall 2008 Student Profile

Chair Taylor asked Associate Vice President Kay to speak about this item.

Ms. Kaye prefaced her report by stating that enrollment was intentionally reduced in order to bring the University in line with funded FTE. She then spoke about current fall enrollments and presented the profile for this year’s first-time-in-college students, noting that final numbers would be available by the end of October. She listed current overall enrollment as 15,544, including 1,200 freshmen. She clarified that these numbers included a drop of 400 freshmen and 1,100 students overall.

Ms. Kaye stated that the intentional drop in FTE had enabled the University to increase the student profile. She announced that the freshmen SAT scores were up 13 points to an average of 1190.77, with an average GPA of 3.63. She stated that the University was pleased with this profile.

Ms. Kaye reported on geographic diversity and mentioned that there was a slight decline in student enrollment from outside the Crown Region. She clarified that this downturn was an indicator of the weak economy.

Ms. Kaye stated that the University was pleased to announce that minority enrollment has increased slightly this year to 22.27 percent. She stated that this increase was due in part to the Jacksonville Commitment.

The Florida Bright Futures scholarship program was discussed, indicating that the enhanced student profile had increased the number of these recipients. Ms. Kaye clarified that the Presidential Scholarship program also allowed the University to recruit high quality freshmen. She noted that the number of freshmen who received this scholarship had also increased.

Ms. Kaye compared last year’s enrollment to the current year, noting that the number of applicants had increased significantly. She attributed this to affects of the economy on the State University System and the subsequent enrollment trends. She clarified that the actual yield rate had decreased because the University was attracting a higher quality student.

Ms. Kaye reported on the decline in transfer applications and the matriculation of these students. She clarified that the significant changes in policies admitting these students had affected the number of applicants.

Trustees asked the administration to provide details on how transfer students were to be made aware of these policy changes. Ms. Kaye responded that the University was providing information to its community college colleagues and this same information was available on the University’s website and in print.

President Delaney stated that community college transfers would be a topic at the upcoming workshop.

Ms. Kaye provided historical data for the past 10 years and noted that all current statistics represented growth. She stated that goals for fall 2009 included 1,400 FTIC, 1200 SAT and 3.7 GPA.

Ms. Kaye talked briefly about the Jacksonville Commitment and SWOOP scholarship programs. She clarified that all scholarship money was distributed.